Kidnapped Syrian TV host executed

"The television presenter, a well-known figure on state TV, has been executed, and the Al-Nusra Front has claimed responsibility for the killing,'' the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
Al-Nusra, a little-known Islamist militant group, claimed the kidnapping and execution of Saeed in a statement on Friday.

"The heroes of western Ghouta (in Damascus province) imprisoned the shabih (pro-regime militia) presenter on July 19,'' said Al-Nusra. "He was then killed after he had been interrogated.''
Posted on a forum featuring the al-Qaeda flag, Al-Nusra's statement showed a photograph of Saeed looking frightened, with his back against a wall in an unknown location.

"May this be a lesson to all those who support the regime,'' it said.
Contacted by AFP, state TV director Maan Saleh said: "We have no material proof of this killing.''